(March 15, 2002) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said that land seizures by local authorities are a key threat to rural stability. ‘We absolutely can’t commit an historic error over land problems,’ Mr Wen said.
Chinese leader blames rural unrest on greedy land grabbing
(March 14, 2002) Prime Minister Wen Jiabao says land grabs by officials eager to cash in on China’s booming economy are provoking mass unrest in the countryside and amount to a ‘historic error’ that could threaten national stability.
Legislator calls for scrutiny of water-diversion scheme
(March 14, 2002) In a sign that China’s rubber-stamp legislature is getting more assertive, a legislator has contended that projects concerning national strategy need to be examined and approved by the National People’s Congress (NPC), adding that a case in point is the gigantic South-North Water-Diversion Project.
Is “keeping in step with the Party” good for the environment?
(March 13, 2002) Acclaimed environmental journalist Dai Qing looks back at some key moments in the political history of the Three Gorges dam – and sees a glimmer of hope ahead.
Migrant leaders languish in jail, one year on
(March 12, 2002) Four men detained for attempting to petition authorities in Beijing about corruption in the Three Gorges resettlement operation remain in prison, one year after their arrest.
NPC delegate calls for law on resettlement
A delegate to the National People’s Congress being held in Beijing has proposed that rules governing dam-related resettlement schemes should be given the force of law.
China sends smoke signals on Kyoto Protocol
(March 12, 2002) In addition to ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, China has also joined an alternative forum, the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which groups the world’s six leading greenhouse-gas emitting nations.
China’s rivers to be dammed for evermore
(March 12, 2002) ‘Environmentalists call the Three Rivers project an assault on the last frontier of China’s wild countryside, in a debate that has broken new ground by being held largely in public.’
Between strikes and the IMF debacle
(March 11, 2002) Two inescapable truths came out of the Federal Govern-ment’s decision last week to dump the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme which had been in place since July last year.
In its water, Laos sees power to cut poverty
(March 11, 2002) Nam Theun 2 dam project will divert large volumes of water from the Nam Theun river to the Xe Bang Fai river, both of which flow into the Mekong. Environmental groups say it will displace large numbers of people, disrupt fish migration and breeding.
China land grabs fuelling unrest, says premier
(March 11, 2002) Premier Wen Jiabao has said the continued ‘reckless occupation’ of farmland would ‘create large numbers of landless farmers and present a grave problem for the sustainable development and stability of the countryside and whole economy and society.’
Time for Fortis to display commitment to process
(March 10, 2002) Fortis has called the opponents of their proposed power dam in Belize hypocrites because they assign weight to environmental considerations, writes Newfoundland-resident in letter to the editor.
Landslide threatens new town of 10,000 people
(March 6, 2002) A major landslide threatens to submerge a new town built to house people who have been moved to make way for the dam, the Chongqing Morning Post reports.
Five workers die in dam-site accident
(March 6, 2002) Five workers were killed yesterday morning in an accident at the Three Gorges dam site, China News Service (Zhongguo xinwen she) reported today.
Undaunted by a critical barrage
(March 4, 2002) “We are not blindly opposed to dams,” says activist Wang Yongchen. She just wants a fair decision-making process on projects.
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